The present application relates broadly to heat insulating materials and, more precisely, to building products, especially those produced according to a formulation that produces a heat insulating material that can withstand a broad range of temperatures and which is formed through an exothermic reaction that is initiated at normal room temperature conditions or at lower, even cold, temperatures without requiring a heating source.
There are certain known means for producing heat insulating materials for a variety of purposes or equipment, each usually requiring some external heat source. The resulting heat insulating material is therefore not formed during normal room environmental conditions, which can make the production of heat insulating material in large-dimensional constructed forms difficult and expensive due to energy and control requirements. Additionally, the currently known heat insulating materials often do not have a resistance to heat that exceeds 900xc2x0 C., which consequently narrows the potential range of their application. In addition, it may become desirable to form building materials at a construction site or xe2x80x9cin the field.xe2x80x9d This is a virtual impossibility with materials requiring an external heat source.
For another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,499 discloses a heat protective material that requires the material to be subjected to temperatures in the range of 2000xc2x0 F. to 2500xc2x0 F. in order to obtain maximum strength. U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,606 discloses a lightweight ceramic material for building purposes that is produced by firing a foamed mixture at temperatures above 600xc2x0 C. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,806 discloses mineral fibers that are for use in thermal insulation, which is made through a process that requires a coke-heated cupola furnace that operates at temperatures in the range of 1565xc2x0 C. to 1605xc2x0 C. When the production of heat insulating material requires the use of an external heat source, the process for such production leads to a significant increase in the heat insulating material""s costs.
Moreover, there are currently known heat insulating materials that use iron silicon and which may need to have heat firing during the production of the heat insulation materials. For example, a known method for making highly porous items for heat insulating equipment, consists of the use of a mixture into which a finely milled metallic silicon or iron silicon is introduced with a finely dispersed material, such as diatomite, trepel or marshalite. A liquid glass, or, as is known, a water glass, is then added in the amount necessary for turning the mixture into a thick creamy consistency. The mixture is then thoroughly mixed and heated, causing the iron silicon or silicon to react in the alkaline medium of liquid glass.
For another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,985 discloses the use of iron silicon with water glass in the temperature range from 5xc2x0 to 90xc2x0 C. in which the unaided reaction may take 24 hours to come to completion, so that heating to 90xc2x0 C. is suggested xe2x80x9cas a matter of course.xe2x80x9d The problem with this above-described process is that the chemical reaction which produces the heat insulating material either does not start at all without heating or requires a long time to come to completion without heating. Additionally, when heat is required for the chemical reaction, the hardening of the mixture occurs during post-reaction cooling. This limits the applicability of such a mixture or process in large-dimensioned constructed forms because of associated dimensional changes. Further, the process described in the 985 Patent requires the use of the water-soluble alkali silicate, alumina cement, a metal base foaming agent and a foam stabilizing agent to produce its heat insulating material. The use of these four elements limit the applicability of the heat insulating material production during field conditions and in construction forms of large dimensions that do not have an external heat source.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the previously mentioned heat insulating building materials, there is a need for specific building materials formed from a formulation for heat insulating material and a method for making the same that includes a self-starting chemical reaction that leads to a dimensionally stable, structurally strong product and which initiates at normal room or lower temperatures which eliminates the need for external heating or firing. Further, there is a need for building materials formed from a heat insulating material with a relatively low density with increased the hardness characteristics. Additionally, there is a need for such building materials formed from heat insulating material that provided lower material costs and provides building material possessing adhesive and cohesive properties. Furthermore, there is a need for building materials formed from heat resistant and heat insulating materials with dielectric properties that work in conditions of normal, low and high temperatures.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide building materials formed from heat insulating material with a relatively low density yet with increased hardness characteristics.
Further, it is an other object of the present invention to provide such building materials formed from the heat insulating material that provides lower material costs and provides adhesive and cohesive properties.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such building materials formed from heat resistance and heat insulating materials with dielectric properties that work in conditions of normal, low and high temperatures.
To those ends, a method for making a heat insulated reinforced block of building material includes providing a mold configured with inner dimensions equal to a desired configuration of the block of building material, providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material formed from a predetermined composition of ingredients; providing at least one rigid reinforcement member; placing the at least one reinforcement member in the mold; introducing the fluid mixture into the mold with the at least one reinforcement member; allowing the fluid mixture to harden within the mold and removing the mixture from the mold, resulting in a block of reinforced heat insulated building material.
It is preferred that the step providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material includes providing the fluid mixture of heat insulating material formed from a composition of the following ingredients and the following amounts:
Preferably, the step placing the at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing the reinforcement member in the mold in a disposition where in at least a portion of the reinforcement member forms at least a portion of an outer surface of the block of building material and extends longitudinally along the block.
It is further preferred that the step of providing at least one rigid reinforcement member includes providing a plurality of reinforcement members and the step of placing at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing a predetermined number of reinforcement members in the mold with at least a portion of the predetermined number of reinforcement members forming at least a portion of an outer surface of the block. It is preferred that the step of providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material includes providing heat insulating material formed with the ingredients at temperatures in the range between room temperature and approximately minus 10xc2x0 C. Preferably, the step of providing heat insulating material includes providing heat insulating material as formed through an exothermic reaction that produces a formulation that hardens without the use of an external energy source. It is further preferred that the step of providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material includes providing a filler formed from firing clay. Preferably the step of providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material includes providing water glass having a SiO2/Na2 ratio (modulus) that is within the approximate range 2.4 to 3.0 with a density of approximately 1.41 to 1.47 gm/cm3. The step of providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material also may include providing water glass formed from sodium silicate.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the method includes the steps of providing a mold configured with inner dimensions equal to a desired configuration of the block of building material; providing a plurality of hardened structures of heat insulating material formed from a predetermined composition of ingredients; providing at least one rigid reinforcement member; providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material formed from the predetermined composition of ingredients; placing the hardened structures and the at least one reinforcement member in the mold with the at least one reinforcement member being disposed between the hardened structures; introducing the fluid mixture into the mold to surround the hardened structures and the at least one reinforcement member allowing the fluid material to harden within the mold and removing the mixture from the mold, resulting in a block of reinforced heat insulating building material. Preferably, the steps of providing a plurality of hardened structures of heat insulating material and providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material including providing both the hardened structures and the fluid mixture formed from a composition of ingredients as described above. It is further preferred that a plurality of reinforcement members are provided and the step of placing the hardened structures and the at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing the hardened structures and the reinforcement members in alternating layers within the mold. It is further preferred that the step of providing at least one reinforcement member includes providing the at least one reinforcement member formed as a generally elongate steel channel. Further, the step of placing at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing the reinforcement member in the mold in a disposition where in at least a portion of the reinforcement member forms at least a portion of an outer surface of the block of building material. It is preferred that the step of placing at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing the reinforcement member in the mold at a disposition extending longitudinally along the block. It is also preferred that the step of placing the at least one reinforcement member in the mold includes placing the reinforcement member in the mold at a disposition extending width-wise across the block.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the steps of providing a mold configured with inner dimensions equal to a desired configuration of the block of building materials; providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material formed from a predetermined composition of ingredients, providing a plurality of rigid reinforcement members; placing the predetermined number of reinforcement members in the mold, with the predetermined number reinforcement members forming at least a portion of first surface of the blocks; introducing the fluid mixture into the mold with a predetermined number of reinforcement members; allowing the fluid material to harden within the mold; and removing the mixture from the mold, resulting in a block of reinforced heat insulating building material. Preferably the step of providing a fluid mixture includes providing a fluid mixture of heat insulating material formed from a composition of ingredients as described above. Further, the present invention preferably includes the step of placing a second predetermined number of reinforced members in the mold, on the fluid mixture prior to hardening thereof at a disposition where in at least a portion of the second predetermined number of reinforcement members forms at least a portion of the second outer surface of the block.
The present invention is also directed to a heat insulated, reinforced block of building material formed from the above-discussed methods. The block of building material includes a molded polygonal unit having a predetermined volume and being formed from a hardened fluid mixture of heat insulating material, the fluid mixture of heat insulating material being formed from a predetermined composition of ingredients, the unit having at least one reinforcement member disposed at least partially internally thereof. Preferably, the fluid mixture of heat insulating material is formed from a composition of ingredients as described above. The building material according to the present invention preferably further includes a plurality of hardened structures of heat insulating material formed from the predetermined composition of ingredients and disposed internally within the block with at least one reinforcement member disposed intermediate at least two of the hardened structures. It is preferred that the hardened structures are formed from a composition of ingredients as described above. It is further preferred that the at least one reinforcement member be formed from steel. Preferably, the at least one reinforcement member is disposed internally within the unit and extends width-wise thereof. It is alternately preferred that the unit include a plurality of reinforcement members extending longitudinally along the block and at least a portion of the reinforcement members forms at least a portion of an outer wall of the block.
It is preferred that the heat insulating material be formed through an exothermic reaction that produces a formulation that hardens without the use of an external energy source. Further, the filler is preferably formed of firing clay. It is further preferred that the water glass have an SiO2/Na2O ratio (modulus) that is within the approximately range 2.4 to 3.0 with a density of approximately 1.41 to 1.47 gm/cm3. Preferably, the water glass is sodium silicon.
By the above, the present invention provides a method for producing a block of reinforced building material formed from low density heat insulating material and building products produced according to the method.